Method and apparatus for loading and supporting vehicle bodies in freight cars and the like



March 6', '1928. 1,661,439

. L. MICHO C METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOADING D SUPP ING VEHICLE BODIES IN CA FREI AND THE LIKE F d Jan. 22. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l CZmzfies JMZVYOQZ 6V m, am, a am w March 6, 1928. 1,661,439

C. L. MICHOD METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOADING AND SUPPORTING VEHICLE BODIES IN FREIGHT CARS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 22. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CHARLES L. MICHOI), OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND AS- mama Me. a, 19. 3.

7 .UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIGNMENTS, TO THE STUDEBAKER CORPORATION, OF SOUTH BEIl'ID, INDIANA, A

CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY, AND THE co oNY AUTOLOADING COMPANY, 01

DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION'OF MICHIGAN.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOADING Am) SUPPORTING vEHIoLP. Bonnie IN FREIGHTICARSAND THE LIKE.

Application filed-January 22, 1926. Serial No. 82,913."

This invention relates to the loading and shipping of vehicle bodies and the'like in freight cars, boats and other transportation I means,-and has to do particularly with improvements in method and apparatus for loading and supporting such vehicle bodies shipped or store for-transportation or storage.

One of the main objects of my invention is to provide for loading and supporting vehicle bodies in superimposed position in freight cars and the like whereby a large number of bodies may be shipped in a single freight car, and may be placed therein and removed therefrom with relative care and speed. v w

Another object is to provide meansforso loading, installing and supporting such vehicle bodies that the bodies may be remov ably secured to suitable support members and then moved as a unit with the support members to such a position that the ends of the latter are secured to -andrsupported by bracket members secured-to the sides-of the freight car and the like.

Other objects. of my invention are to c'onstruct the supporting apparatus so that it is economical to manufacture, simple in construction and readily assembled and disassembled; to make able to be adapted to freight cars or shipping compartments of different widths and .to accommodate vehicle bodies of various widths; and to make the apparatus collapsible or foldable, without requiring disass sembly' of the '(parts, so it can be easily as a unit, when not in use. With the above and incidental objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construct tm and combination of arts, essential elements of which are recited in the appended claims and'a preferred form of embodiment of which is described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein,--

Figure 1 is a. perspective view showing the interior of an end portion of a freight car with "apparatuses embodying my invention mounted therein for the purpose of carryingthe upper vehicle body abovethe lower vehicle body, the freight car and the bodies bein illustrated more or less dia-. grammatica y. I

the apparatus adjust- Fig. 2 is a perspective View of 'a vehicle j body, such as that shown in Fig. 1, connected to its supporting members and ready to be moved to a position in the freight car wherein the ends of the supporting members will rest'upon the bracket members as shown in Fig. 1.

/ Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view'show ing a modified form of connection between certain parts'of'my device, .which will ,be described more fully hereinafter.

This application is a continuation of my application Serial No. 754,483, filed December 8, 1924, for means forsupporting vehicle bodies during shipment as to all matter com- I mon to the two applications.

Referring to the drawings, the automobile bodies are loaded in the freight car in superimposed position. The lower 'tier of bodies may be secured directly to the floor of the freight car, if desired; or. they may be mounted on supporting apparatus embody: ing'my invention, as shown in Fi 1. The bodies of the upper tier are loade and supported in accordance with myinvention.

There is one ofmy supporting devices'for each body of such-upper tier. The supporting apparatus for each of these upper tier bodies may comprise end or bracket members 5, SldQOl supporting members fi'connected at their rear ends -'(as in Fig. 1) to one of. the bracket members 5' and at their front ends to members 7 which, in turn, have their front ends connected to the front bracket member 5. The members 5, 6 and 7 are preferably, though not necessarily, formed of angleirons, as shown in the drawings. The depending webs or flanges of the angle iron brackets 5 are provided with a plurality of 'holes through which nails are driven, or other desired fastening means are applied, to secure them to the sides of the freight car at the desired height,.such height being determined by the height of the body of the lower tier directly beneath. The lateral orchorizontal flanges of these brackets 5 are provided with a plurality of boltholes 8, and the lateral or horizontal flanges of the sup;

ortipg' members 6 are likewise provided with, bolt holes 9. The vehicle body rests upon and is adapted to be carried by these here 6, and is rigidl secured thereto by means of bolts 10 w ich project through holes in the floor members 11 of the body and the registering bolt holes 9, there being a large number of bolt holes 9 so that different len hs of bodies with different positioned olt holes in their floors may be accommodated. The bolts 10 may project through holes in the side sills of the floor of the body as illustrated in Fig. 2 or through the cross sills or other parts of the floor, as desired. i

With the supportin members 6 secured to the floor or sills o the body, such unit is held fixed in place upon the brackets 5 by bolts 12 which project throu h'the rear bolt holes 9 and through bolt ho es 8 in the horizontal flange of-the rear bracket 5. If found desirable, any well known means such as the collar, washer or the like'may be carried by the .bolt 12 between the horizontal flanges of the members 5 and 6 to revent the possibility of tipping of the mem ers 6;

however, tipping isnot likely to occur in view of the connection of the horizontal flanges of the members 6 to the body in the manner stated. The forward ends of the angle irons 7 rest on the horizontal flange of the forward bracket 5 and are adapted to be secured in osition thereon by means of bolts 14 extendlng through holes in the horizontal flanges of the members 7 and 5. The forward ends of the vertical flanges of the supporting members 6 are rovided with a pluralit of bolts or headed pins 15, preferably t rec in number, and these bolts pro- {get throu h elongated slots 16, which may key-hol e shaped for the purposes of assembly if desired, formed 1n the vertical flanges of the angle iron 7.

It will be noted that there are a number of holes 8 in the horizontal flanges. of the brackets 5 so that the distance between the sup ortiitrlg or cross members 6 may be varied as esire to accommodate bodies of different widths, and the an le irons 7 are adapted to be moved longitudinally relative to the .members 6, by the bolt-and-slot connections 15-16 to accommodate freight cars of different widths. It will also be observed that, when the apparatus is not in use, as when the body has reached its destination and has been removed from the sup orting members 6, the provision for pivota connection between the members 5, 6 and 7 permits the entire apparatusto be folded into a compact mass so that it is more easily stored or re-' turned to the bod shipper.

The bodies of the lower tier may be supported in amanner similar to the bodies in ,the'upper tier. In this instance the brackets 1, which lcorrespond to the brackets 5, may

be secured to the sides of the car, at the bottom; and the body with the attached su porting members 2, which correspond to the supporting members 6, may be moved as a unit into the freight car so that the ends of the supporting members 2 rest upon the brackets 1 in tie same manner as in connection with the body of the upper tier. The supporting members of the body of the lower tier are provided with angle iron members 3, similar to and for the same purpose as the angle iron members 7. In fact the supporting apparatus for the body of the lower tier may be identical with that for the body of the upper tier, the only difference being the relative vertical positions of the brackets Land 5. However, in connection with the body ofthe lower tier, if desired, the vertical flanges of the brackets 1 which are secured to the freight car sides may not be of as great width as the corresponding flanges of the brackets 5 so as to carry the body closer to the freight car floor and thus conserve space.

In applying my invention to the loading, installing and supporting of vehicle bodies in superimposed position in freight cars and the like, I mount the separate front and rear brackets 5 on the interior side walls of the freight car at the pro er height directly opposite each other. if the freight car is regularly used by the automobile body manufacturer for the transportation of vehicle bodies, the brackets 5 may be unremovably secured in position therein, if desired, and even when detachably secured need not be removed at any time. The supporting cross members 6 are applied to the bottom of the vehicle body and securely fastened thereto by the bolts 10, as above described and as shown in Fig. 2. In practice, the body with the supporting members 6 attached as in Fig. 2, is positioned on the platform of a movable hoist or elevator and the hoist is rolled orotherwise moved into .the freight car. The platform is first raised so that the support members 6 are higher than the brackets 5, and the hoist is then moved to bring the members 6 and 7 over the brackets, and finall the platform is lowered, leaving the ho y supported on the brackets through the members 6 and 7. The ends of the supporting members 6 and 7 are then properly ali ned with the holes 8 in the respective brackets 5 and the bolts 12 and 14, respectively, inserted and secured as hereinbefore explained. It is to be understood that, during the foregoing loading operations; the slot-and-pin arrangement 1516 permits the members 7 to be ad'usted longitudinally of the members 6 to ring their ends pro erly over the bracket 5. To unload the dies it isapparent that the foregoing operations are reversed. a

In Fig. 3. I have shown a modified form of connection between the rear ends of the angle iron sup orting members 6 and the rear bracket 5, e connection in this instance 1,ca1,4ao

consisting of a bracket member 18 riveted to the member 6 and pivoted by a bolt 19 to the horizontal flange of the rear bracket 5.

' body in a freight car for shipment, comprising securing supporting cross-members to said body, placing said body and said cross- I claim:

1. An apparatus for supporting vehicle bodies'in a freight'car' or the like comprising bracket members arranged for aligned attachment to the opposite walls of the freight car body, supporting members extending crosswise 'of said freight car body and adjustably engaging said bracket members, means for removably securing said cross members and brackets together in adjusted position, and means for attaching and securing the vehicle body to said cross members.

2. An apparatus for supporting vehicle bodies in a freight car or the like comprising bracket members arranged for aligned unit in place together.

attachment to the opposite walls of the' freight car body, and members detachably carried by the vehicle body forengaging said bracket members to support the body in the freight car, and means for removably securing said bracket members and body for supporting vehicle 3. In an apparatus bracket bodies in a freight car or the like,

7 members adapted to be located in horizontal alignment on theopposite side walls of the freight" car, said members having horizontal.

shelf sections with openings therein, and members removably carried by the vehicle body and adapted to extend crosswise of.

the freight car to engage said horizontal shelf sections, said vlast named members having openings therein adapted to align with the openings in said bracket member freight cars, comprising securing brackets shelves for removably securing the same together. y v

4. The method of loading objects in freight cars, comprising first securing to each of said objects a plurality of quickly detachable cross-members, placing each-of said objects and its corresponding crossmembers in saidcar as a unit, and thereafter securing said cross-members to the sides of the carand out of contact with the floor of the latter.

5.' The method of lhading an object in a freight car for shipment, comprising first securing to said object a quickly detachable,

supporting part, placing said object and said supporting, part in said freight caras a unit, and thereafter securing said su porting part to object out of contact with said car. i

6. The method I of loading objects in to the sides of said cars, seburing cross-' members on each of said objects, and placingeach of said objects with its respective cross,- members in said car as a unit with said cross-v members supported by said brackets "and spanning the'mterior width of said car and 1 body and cross-members can be from said car as a unit.

the sides'of said car witflsaid thereafter securing said cross-members to said brackets.

7 The method of loading an automobile members in said car as a unit, and removably securing said cross-members to said car.

8. The method of loading an automobile body in a freight car for shipment, compris ing securing brackets to the side of said car above the level of the floor thereof, securing supporting cross-members .to' said body,

placing said body and said cross-members in said car as a unit with the ends of said cross-members supported on said brackets 9. Means for supporting an automobile body in a freight car comprising brackets ets, and means for securing said cross-members to saidautomoblle body whereby said removed v 1t). In an apparatus vehicle body in freight cars and the like, the combination of end suppprting members adapted to secured to the walls ofthe freight car, and adjustable side members secured to said end members to-acommodate vehicle bodies of different widths and adapted to have the vehicle body secured thereto, said end members extending tran=.

for supporting i a' secured to the sides of said freight car, crossmembers supportingsaid body spanning the width of said car and secured to said brackversely of the supported vehicle body, and 1 said side members extending longitudilfally ofsaid vehicle body.

.11. In, anap aratus for supporting a vehicle' body in rei ht ears or the like, the combination of-en' members adapted to be secured to the walls of the freight car, adjustable side members for accommodating freight cars of different widths secured at' their ends to said 'su porting end members and adapted to have t e vehicle body secured thereto, said'end members extending transversely of the vehicle body and said side members extending longitudinally of 'said vehicle body.

12. In an apparatus for supportillili a-vehicle body in freight cars and the e, the combinatlon of-end members adapted to be secured to walls, side members adjustable.

themselves and. adapted lengthwise in connected different distances be adjustabl ap t W frei ht cars and to accommodate vehicle bodies of different widths, and means for securing the vehicle body to said side members."

1 13. In an apparatus for supporting a ve- III end members to be adapted to hicle body in freight cars and the like, the combination of end members having a plurality of bolt holes, side members each comprising two pieces adjustable lengthwisef.

means for adj ustably connecting the ends of the side members to the end members to accommodate vehicle bodies of different widths, and means for securing the vehicle body to said side members. v

14. In an apparatus for-supporting a vehicle body in a freight car or the like, the

I combination of end members ada ted to be secured to walls, side members eac 1 comprising two pieces adj ustably connected together by slot-and-pin connections means for pivotally connecting the side members to said end members, and means for securing the vehicle body to the sidemembers.

15. In an apparatus for supporting a vehicle body in afreight car or the like, the combination of end members comprising angle irons adapted to be secured to walls and having one flange provided with a plurality of bolt holes, side members comprising angle irons the horizontal flanges of which are provided with a plurality of bolt holes so that bodies with differently arranged bolt holes in the floor thereof ma be secured by bolts to said flanges, bolts pro ecting through the selected bolt holes in the horizontal flange of the rear end angle iron and through bolt holes in the rear ends of said sideangle irons to pivot the parts together, front angle irons having slot-andpin connections with the side angle irons to accommodate freight carsof different widths, and bolts projecting through the selected holes of the horizontal flange of the front end eagle iron and through holes in said front angle ironsto pivot the parts together.

.16. In an apparatus for supporting a vehicle body in a freight car or the like, the combination of end angle irons adapted to be secured to the walls'of the car, side angle irons adjustable lengthwise to accommodate freight cars of different widths, and having a pluralityof bolt holes in their. hoi'izontal flanges to accommodate vehicle bodies having differently arranged bolt holes in the -fioor thereof, and bolts adapted to project through said bolt holes to secure the vehicle body to said side angle irons.

17. In an apparatus for supporting vehicle bodies and the like in freight cars, in vertical superimposed osition, comprising a supporting structure aving side members extending longitudinally with respect to said vehicle body, end members extending transversely with respect to said vehicle body, means for securing said supporting structure within said freight car, said side members being provided with portions u on which the supported vehicle is adapte to directly rest, and adjustable means for securing the supported vehicle structure to said side bars.

18. The method of loading an automobile body in a freight car or the like for shi ment, comprising first securing to said b y a removable supporting part adapted to lie transversely of the freight car interior, placing said body and its supporting art in said freight car as a unit in an uprig t condition,.and thereafter securing said supporting part to the sides of the freight car interior with said body out of contact with said'car. v 1

19. The method of loading automobile bodies in freightcars, comprising securing-- brackets to the opposite interior side walls of the freightjcar, securing sup orting members on each of said bodies, and placing each of said bodies with its respective supporting members in said car as aunit in an upright condition with said supporting members carried by said brackets and spannin interior width of the freight car, and t ereafter securing the supporting members to said brackets.

20. An a paratus for supporting vehicle bodies in reight cars comprising a complete supporting structure having its members in the form of a closed angular figure the the sides of which are extensible longitudi- 96 CHARLES. L. 'MICHOD. 

